Stir fried pork with gochujang

Do you know gochujang? It is a chili-based fermented Korean paste which is basically made of  red chili powder, glutinous rice powder mixed with powdered fermented soybeans, and salt. There are also so many types of Gochujang in Korea. It has even become popular in Japan.

I got one from Korea the other day. It is so helpful when you want to add some different tastes to your cooking. Gouchujang doesn't taste either simple or too spicy, but it has the rich flavor and taste as it's fermented like cheese, miso and kimchi. If you find one, please try it!

Ingredients:

carrot

sliced pork

bean sprout

sesame oil

gochujang (1tbsp)

soy sauce (1tbsp)

salt and pepper

ginger

1-  Cut the carrot and ginger thinly. Flour a little salt and pepper on the pork.

2-  Heat some sesame oil and fry the ginger and the sliced pork. When the pork is cooked, remove it from the pan.

3-  Stir fry the carrot on the same pan. Put 2 and bean sprout into it. 

4- Add gochujang and soy sauce and stir well.

If you have Korean nori, please put some on top before eating.
Itadakimasu! 

Namul

This week, we went to Okutama (map) for mountain climbing. There are a lot of mountains in the Okutama area and the most popular one is called Mt. Mitake, which is so busy in the summer time. However, we decided to climb Mt. Honnita where there was not any other person around.

We had to walk in pouring rain due to the rainy season so I was worried about land slide or rock fall. Also there are bears and monkeys that can attack people in the area! But the location is beautiful so please go and try climbing there!

Namul is a Korean food but popular in Japan too. I will make carrot, qing geng cai and bean sprout namul.

Ingredients:

carrot

qing geng cai (or spinach)

bean sprout

sesame

sesame oil

salt

soy sauce

1- Cut carrot and bok-choy in around 5cm stick.

2- Boil 1 and bean sprout. Stir with sesame oil, sesame and a little salt and soy sauce.

Itadakimasu.

Chicken with a chili ketchup sauce

It's June! The day length is getting longer and the temperature is more bearable. But it won't last long in Tokyo as the rainy season is coming soon and that will stay for over a month. When the rain finishes, it will be already hot.

I remember that this time in Europe is one of the best seasons in a year. People are very happy to enjoy chatting, dancing or drinking with friends till late at night. Also many outdoor festivals and events fascinated me as well as the nice weather...

I will cook the chicken and bean sprout using a tomato ketchup today.

Ingredients:

chicken

bean sprout 

spring onion

starch

tomato ketchup (2tbsps)

vinegar (1tbsp)

chili sauce (1tbsp)

sugar (1tbsp)

soup (chicken)

salt

1- Cut the chicken, put a little salt on it and coat it with starch.

2- Fry 1 with some sesame oil. When the surface is cooked, add 1/2 a cup of soup and boil.

3- Put the bean sprout in, adjust the taste with ketchup, vinegar, chili sauce and sugar.

4- When all ingredients are cooked, splash the starch around that is melted in a 2tbsps water.

5- Add the finely cut spring onion and heat it for a little more.

Itadakimasu.

Bean sprout salad & Vietnamese food report1

Vietnam has some French culture from the colonial period. Bread is one of them. The French-style breads are so popular there as a quick meal and a lot of local shops sell baguettes on the streets. A plain baguette is only about US$0.2-0.5.

Also you can find western style bakeries in big cities like Saigon where you can enjoy pastries with coffee (refer the photo). There are so many types of beautiful bread including Vietnamese-tasting ones for US$0.5- 1.

OK, Today's cooking using bean sprout is refreshing and goes well with strong tasting food.

Ingredients:

bean sprout

chicken breast

wakame (small seaweeds)

soy sauce

vinegar

sesame

1- Boil bean sprout and wakame.

2- Boil and tear the chicken in small pieces.

3- Mix 1, 2, soy sauce, vinegar and squashed sesame.

Itadakimasu!